super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin. we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin and out cleans the other free and clear detergent. dermatologist recommended. it's got to be tide. ♪ ♪ ♪ so what was it? this got plenty of attention last night in the skies over the san francisco bay area. there were no spaceships -- spacecrafts that were launched last night. people across a 75-mile area reported seeing the mysterious light. the national weather service

says it's not 100% sure but says it was an alien spacecraft. >> or santa. >> or santa. no, they say it could have been a meteor. >> hmm. >> not sure about that. >> what a mystery. >> mmm-hmm. well, a man is dead after a freak accident near washington, d.c. >> this was terrible. his body was found at the bottom of an escalator at the new carrollton metro station in maryland. surveillance video showed him trying to walk up the down escalator. he then fell backward and struck his head and then his clothing caught in the escalator. an investigation under way there in the d.c. area. well, turning now to the frightening moments for a 5-year-old boy in tennessee left all alone, trapped inside his school bus. >> he was forced to figure out how to escape all by himself before he was helped by a stranger. here is abc's linsey davis. >> mama! >> reporter: a real-life

nightmare playing out on bus surveillance cameras as a 5-year-old cries out for help. his mom, uenisha bradford, wipes away tears as she watches the video of her son's distress. it happened in chattanooga, tennessee. the video obtained by abc affiliate wtbc shows children exiting the bus to after-care but the 5-year-old had fallen asleep. >> our teacher's supposed to walk through. she said she looked under the seats for legs and bookbags and didn't see anything. >> reporter: the driver ends her shift and walks away. the little boy wakes up and realizes he's all alone. >> mama! >> reporter: more than ten minutes later, he figures out how to open the door and wanders the parking lot until he's helped by a stranger. >> what if those people weren't out there? anybody could have got him. >> reporter: that driver has been suspended and the bus monitors will now undergo additional training to try to prevent this from happening again. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> awful story. >> kind of frightening there.

in the meantime, an indiana mom accused of leaving her kids home alone added a special twist to her case. >> joanne cummings faces neglect charges after police say they found her 7 and 4-year-old by themselves in their home. when officers arrived the kids were watching a movie and of course it was "home alone." unlike the movie, the only visitors this time were police. >> 4 and 7-year-old. >> had the 7-year-old stay home to watch the 4-year-old so that she could go to work. >> okay. i could see the logic in it, have the older one look after the younger one. that's why i have no kids. >> in theory, the older one. the younger one. not when they're 7 and 4. >> yeah, true. next, more from "home alone" because macaulay culkin returns to his famous role. >> get ready for that. "alladin" bae, get ready for this. "the skinny" is next. . that. "alladin" bae, get ready for this.

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♪ skinny ♪ just give me the skinny it is "skinny" time and it is "skinny" on a thursday. so a little tbt with a christmas classic updated.

>> "home alone" turned 28 years old this year. and just in time for christmas, the now 38-year-old macaulay culkin is reimagining his 8-year-old self in this new holiday ad for google. ♪ ♪ >> mom? dad? hey, google, what's on my calender today? >> you have one event called "house to yourself." >> oh, yeah. ♪ hey, google, add aftershave to my shopping list. hey, google, remind me to clean these sheets later. >> okay. i'll remind you. someone's at the front door. >> what do i owe you? >> looks like you paid online. >> keep the change, you filthy animal. >> okay. cool. >> ah, yes. he kind of looks like he did 28 years ago. >> he does. that "home alone" house sold for $1.5 million six years ago in chicago. >> wow. good deal.

well, now we're getting our first look at disney's remake of "alladin." >> which needs to be renamed "jafar." the new version from our parent company stars mena massoud as a title character, alongside will smith as genie. naomi scott as princess jasmine. >> but the remake is also making huge waves with marwan kenzari as the villain jafar. we remember jafar like this in the animated film. >> yeah, exactly, but here is jafar in the flesh. >> hey, zaddy. >> zaddy. okay, yeah. >> so here he really is without all that pesky costuming. good job, disney. >> talk about disney animators. >> yeah. good god. one twitter user went as far as to say, "i hope "alladin's" acting is phenomenal, otherwise i'm going to be cheering for jafar based on his hotness

alone." god, that slow walk. did we slow that down? >> no. >> that's how he -- >> he just moves in slow motion. >> it's time lapsed. one woman said, "yeah, right, jasmine not choosing aladdin's broke "a" with daddy jafar over here." she's kind of right. >> oh, my gosh. do we have to go on to the next story? jeez. >> wow. >> i am getting a little warm. but, okay -- >> hot flashes. >> all right. look. we can't -- we can't move on without checking out will smith as genie. >> oh, yeah. that's nice. >> "aladdin" comes out next may. >> thanks, will. we know what we're doing in may. we'll be rooting for jafar. next, after more than three decades, the biggest debate in cinematic history may finally be settled. >> 20th century fox is saying

"diehard" is the greatest christmas story ever told. even greater, presumably, the actual christmas story. it's better than that one, the one with baby jesus. >> really? >> that's what they say. >> the 1988 smash hit starring bruce willis who kills a terrorist gang during an office christmas party. >> screenwriter jeb stewart told "gma" this past summer it's a holiday film because of the family aspect of willis fighting to preserve his family. >> during the christmas season. >> it totally makes sense. >> yeah. so "forbes" is out with its list of the world's highest paid comedians. >> in first place again is jerry seinfeld, who has topped the list nearly every year since it began in 2006, pulling down $57.5 million in the past year. >> number two and trailing by

just 0.5 million is kevin hart. >> uh-huh. >> much of his millions coming from sold-out stadium tours. >> i don't need you, oscars. yeah. coming up, pull out your tissues. you're about to get your heartstrings plucked. >> you can take your hosting gig. $30,000 hosting gig. reena! got popcorn?

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kendis gibson is dancing his way into unemployment. tune in friday to say good-bye to this "world news now" legend. man, you're good. >> thank you, jack. >> so you know what? i can't wait until tomorrow. let's get the celebration started right now. >> yes. >> a lot of women have sat in my seat since you started on "world news now." >> a lot. >> they probably all dreaded it. >> "world news now" is like tinder for late-night. >> swipe left. >> swipe. >> and some very talented journalists have filled in for you. so here's what some of them had to say about good old kendis. >> i'm scurred. >> i will never forget when you got me to eat 10-year-old popcorn that was a longtime prop

on set. >> that's a prop? i didn't know that. >> kendis, you're one of the kindest and most generous people in this business. i'm so excited to see your next chapter. you're really one of my first tv husbands and you haven't sent me an anchor alimony check yet. i'm waiting. >> kendis, you've been one of my best buds here at abc. you're like a brother. a much, much older brother. >> i used to think that i was the only co-anchor for kendis. he made me feel so special, like i was the only one. turns out that apparently there's a lot of us. >> he's been with a lot of women and he does kind of whisper sweet nothings in your ear to make you feel special. there have been so many women sitting next to him. >> i think it's a record, actually. >> but in all seriousness, we are really going to miss you, kendis, and we wish you all the best. >> we love you. get some sleep.

>> kendis, i knew when you made a just the tip joke my first 30 minutes on air that we would be fast friends, but i never imagined we would go on to work so well together. we would go on to be the longest-running anchor duo in "world news now" history. whether it was doing breaking news or some silly stunt we didn't know was going to work or not, i always knew i had a friend and partner next to me that i could rely on. so, thank you for being my partner in crime. i'm so excited to see where you end up next and i will so be hoping that we get to work together again some day. all right. so most of that was the same speech i gave at my going away show. but whatever, i don't have time to write you two sappy good-bye speeches. i got to go. good-bye. >> i was going to say, diane's was so sweet. >> it was very sweet. >> manufactured. >> diane there on her maternity break. clearly she took that just the tip joke a little too far with her hubby. >> oh, the lines, kendis. >> oh, the lines. >> lord, have mercy. all these women you've run

through and now -- >> yes, including kenneth moton.

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good morning. good morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm janai norman. here are some of the top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." tens of millions of us are hitting the road for our christmas trips. gas prices are low and most of us are driving. but between the congestion and the bad weather, today is expected to be the worst day to travel. a missouri judge is upholding a nearly $5 billion verdict against johnson & johnson. 22 women sued blaming their ovarian cancer on asbestos in the baby powder. a british airport was shut down for hours overnight after two drones were spotted hovering over the airfield. in this busy holiday travel season, all flights over london's gatwick airport had to be diverted to other cities.

a royal luncheon at buckingham palace. will and kate made the annual holiday event. harry and meghan showed up for the first time as husband and wife. those are some of our top stories on this thursday, december 20th. from abc news, this is "world news now." because there was -- >> so equals scandal. >> because there was the "new york post" report that said they weren't all going to be together and they were going to go to kate's parents', but i guess that's on actual christmas day. >> the family putting on a united front, you know, for the holiday season. back here at home, we begin with a busy travel day ahead for millions just as a major storm system begins to move up the east coast. >> if you're leaving now, it's clear and dry outside our new york city studio. just watch them all move. any day now.

everybody. >> so much traffic on this busy, busy holiday travel day. >> busy getaway. all right. this might be the reason why. tomorrow at this time it will be very wet in new york. the storm is drenching the south right now. >> travel by planes, trains, busses and cruise ships is all up more than 4% this year. 6.7 million people are expected to fly somewhere for the holidays, the most in 15 years. not only will airport terminals be crowded and full of germs, but officials are warning that many airport access roads and parking lots will be overtaxed. abc's victor oquendo reports. >> reporter: storms are set to come through here overnight and into the morning right at the peak time for travelers. that powerful storm that brought a rare december tornado to washington state is on the move at the same time a new storm forming in the south. already flooding streets in new orleans and dumping rain on drivers in west texas. those two storms set to merge and bring nightmare travel all the way up the east coast just

as 120 million people are heading out for the holidays. airlines expect 45 million will travel this holiday season. back in washington state, officials checking some 450 homes for damage from that tornado. the national weather service announcing it was an ef-2. 300 yards wide with winds up to 130 miles per hour. so much of the east coast is saturated. that means there is sure to be extensive flooding from this storm. victor oquendo, abc news, atlanta. >> all right. our thanks to victor. let's get more details on what drivers and flyers will face from accuweather. >> melissa constanzer has the forecast. melissa, good morning. >> janai, kendis, some big travel concerns here along the east coast. while it will be warm, rain is going to be working its way up the east coast as we head into friday. still wet, though, for your thursday here in the southeast, which means the risk for flooding, especially through parts of northern florida, right up the carolina coast where they've already been hit hard with some heavy rain this year and expecting river flooding.

we are also concerned with the risks for severe weather here through florida. that will mean some damaging winds along with strong to severe thunderstorms. breaking news from north korea, which is making a new demand in nuclear talks with the u.s. kim jong-un's government saying overnight that north korea will never give up its nuclear weapons unless the u.s. removes its nuclear threat first. that statement could be a setback to nuclear talks between the u.s. and north korea, which have made very little progress since president trump's meeting with kim in june in singapore. they had agreed to a nuclear-free korean peninsula but the agreement they signed lacked many details on how that would happen. the senate has taken a major step towards averting a possible government shutdown. voting overnight in favor of a short-term fix. the legislation does not include money for president trump's border wall but itould kick the can into the new year and fund the government until february 8th. the house is expected to vote on the bill today and send it to the president.

conservatives are urging him not to sign it. america's pastime has come up with a deal to play ball with cuba. >> the goal is to allow cuba's best to play in the u.s. without risking their lives to make a living. abc's brad mielke has more. >> hey, guys. yeah, this might just sound like a change in the baseball rule book but this announcement reverberated through foreign countries, political circles, even humanitarian. you see, for years if you grew up in cuba and wanted to play in the big leagues, you couldn't leave the island. fidel castro wouldn't allow it. the only options were to stay or defect. that changed yesterday. i talked to eduardo perez. he's a former big-leaguer. he's now an analyst for our partners at espn. his own father left cuba right before the embargo so he watched what his countrymen had to go through to join him. >> little by little they started defecting. they started risking their lives. they starting started leaving if it was during international tournaments they would have to shave their heads. they would have to go into isolation.

they would jump in a car where an agent would be picking them up and taking them to a secluded hotel and they'd be there. many players sacrificed not only their lives but their livelihood also. trying to leave cuba for a better life to help out the family and in search of their dream. >> a ton of famous players from this island that absolutely adores baseball. now under this rule, players will have to stay in cuba until they're at least 25. even then a portion of their salary will go back to cuba. we'll have a lot more on reaction to this rule on "start here" later this morning. listen on apple podcasts or your favorite podcasting app. kendis? janai? now to the humanitarian crisis involving about 750,000 people known as the rohingya. right now they are in refuge camps in bangladesh after a military campaign of violence forced them out of myanmar. bangladesh wants to move some of

the rohingya to an island so abc's bob woodruff went to see it. >> reporter: we are on our way to the place the bangladeshi government does not want you to see. >> so that's it right there? right there. >> reporter: literally means floating island, but many here call it prison island. the government's plan iso make it into a camp for 100,000 rohingya refugees who are now living in mainland camps hundreds of miles away. they are the families, the children we reported on before. the plan to move them to a deserted island is controversial because of the danger. it is a low-lying island and isolated, too. it would be very difficult for the world to get there, for people to know what's happening to the rohingya. here the docs are guarded by the bangladesh navy. we head towards the beach where the bangladesh navy. we head towards the beach where we saw construction workers walking ashore, carrying supplies on their heads. >> is this the main part? is this the main where all the rohingya people are ultimately going to live? >> reporter: yes, he says. 750,000 fled the horror in

myanmar where many were tortured, some raped, some killed by the myanmar military. u.n. investigators call it genocide. rohingya we spoke to now living in bangladesh already victim sized once say they do not want to be moved to that island. >> where would you like to go? >> reporter: i would rather stay here, she says. in anger, this man told us he would never, ever be moved to that island where we discovered they're preparing for the rohingya and quickly. >> all right. now we've gone deep into the construction area. you can see a lot of these brand-new buildings are being built. >> reporter: this is where the rohingya might soon live. the bangladeshi working furiously to prepare for them. >> look at this hall. it's huge. >> reporter: row after row of red roofing in all directions. sleeping quarters for a persecuted group already marked with numbers, room 13, room 14, inside two bunk beds, four rohingya to a room.

>> this is going to supposedly hold 100,000 rohingya people. >> reporter: on the way off the island, we spot this, a watchtower which overlooks the living quarters and a palatial mansion for the prime minister of bangladesh. she has not even visited the island yet. and as we head out, more workers are heading in. even though the rohingya people are adamant they will not be moved again. >> and i found fascinating watching the longer version of that on "nightline" that so many officials hadn't visited the island but still want them to live there. >> it's amazing how it's one of those things that is very underreported. it's great that bob did that. our thanks to bob woodruff. coming up, sully's new mission. president george h.w. bush's loyal lab is getting ready for his next assignment. plus if christmas cookies and eggnog aren't your thing,

how about more of a caribbean flavor. you're watching "world news now." kendis gibson is dancing his way to unemployment. tune in friday to say good-bye to this "world news now" legend.

so this is surveillance so this is surveillance video of a bar robbery in altuna, pennsylvania. the bartender emptying the register. you see there at gunpoint. then he takes down the intruder, turns the gun on him. the guy behind the bar is a marine combat veteran. >> wow. >> right? check out those moves. that suspect got away. he's unlikely to come back. >> oh, yeah. turning now to the deepening crisis at facebook and another bombshell revelation of another massive breach. >> "the new york times" is reporting the company shared user data including your private messages. here is abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: facebook facing legal action from the district of columbia over the company's alleged failure to protect user information during the 2016 presidential campaign. this follows a separate "new york times" report that the social media goliath gave up to 150 companies access to its users' personal data. reportedly exempting them from its usual privacy rules.

according to the report facebook offered microsoft's bing, the ability to look at facebook users' friends without their consent. even allegedly offering companies like netflix and spotify the access to read, write and delete users' private messages. seeming to contradict mark zuckerberg's assurances from april. >> every piece of content that you share on facebook you own and you have complete control over who sees it. >> reporter: facebook tells us that none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without people's permission. >> it's gross mismanagement. it's taking advantage of not only the consumer but the fact that there is no regulation. >> reporter: facebook says that it no longer offers its partner companies access to that kind of data and some of those companies, including netflix and spotify, telling us that they never made use of their access to personal data. matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. well, time is running out to get fast and free shipping on your last-minute gifts and

receive them by christmas. >> the deadline for the amazon promotion just passed, but amazon prime members still have a few days left. free shipping from walmart, best buy and target ends today. i've already done my shopping online. >> not for anyone specific, he just bought gifts. >> just for me. i needed like a new sweater. and now to hershey's kiss and a mystery. >> chocolate lovers want to know what happened to their beloved candy. many of the bite sized chocolates are missing their pointed tips. bakers in one facebook group are really upset. they say it's causing a problem with their holiday dessert items. how? we're not sure. hershey says they're looking into the issue. >> really? they're looking into this. a deep dive investigation into -- >> where did the tips go? >> yeah, exactly. well, coming up, adding a dash of caribbean spice to our holiday celebrations. >> a five-star pastry chef shows us how coconut and lime can be just as christmassy as cinnamon and cranberries. >> ooh!

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welcome back. an welcome back. and cue the music. ♪ >> yes. because who hasn't dreamt of a caribbean christmas, some palm trees, maybe your own private pool? our next guest actually works here. he's a pastry chef in puerto rico. insanely luxurious five-star property and he's here to show us some of the christmas treats people of puerto rico will be having. jeffrey, thank you for being here. >> thank you, kendis. >> these are traditional puerto rican things that folks will be having along the christmas time. >> yes, a drink consisting of cocoa lopez, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and rum. >> important there. >> can't forget that. >> so we'll put all this stuff in. it just all goes in. there is no measurement? >> one can of each. >> okay. wow. you don't mind getting the suit messy. >> that's okay. >> then how much of this -- do we just drink from the bottle and then --

>> to taste. >> oh, to taste. all right. awesome. >> that's good. >> okay. >> and then a little cinnamon. >> yep. >> so this is sort of like eggnog. >> it's like eggnog without the yolk. >> in belize we have something that is called rum popo that is like eggnog as well. so the guests of the hotel would -- like, do they ask for this sort of stuff? >> yes, yes, yes. >> really? >> yes. it's very popular at the hotel. >> do they forget how much they're paying after the end of the first drink because it's not cheap. >> no, it's not cheap but excellence is not cheap. >> all right. so there you have it. it's all there. >> the coquito drink. >> this is a puerto rican drink. our quality control expert is here. no? twist my arm. all right. jeffrey, let's move on to another one. >> this is chocolate coconut. >> excellent.

>> this is being sold in our signature restaurant koa. >> chocolate coconut. >> it's a chocolate coconut. >> excellence is not cheap. you don't know what you're missing. >> at what point do we tell you he's lactose intolerant? >> too late. >> all right. >> so this is an actual chocolate coconut filled with coconut mousse. >> can you taste it as coconut? can you taste the chocolate? >> yeah, you can break it. break it off in pieces. eat it as part of the dessert but it's filled with a lime jelly, a pineapple compote. would you like to try it? >> yeah, sure. do you ever get the feeling there is somebody that is the third wheel on a date? just kind of hanging out. >> i'll go to the side. >> no, no, no, no, no, hang out. okay. what are we putting on this? >> this is a mojito granate. >> okay. cool. give it a test. >> no, no, no, keep it in the bowl. >> keep it in the bowl.

>> here, noah. what's this. >> tembleque consists of cornstarch, lemon, cinnamon, it's very refreshing. >> it's very traditional puerto rican? all that. >> very traditional. >> refreshing. >> excellent. >> i'll do it on my own. >> try that one as well. okay. let's do it. i don't think there's enough rum in this. we'll see how that works. awesome. pour for the rest of the crew. >> these are awesome. >> try one please. >> what's more delicious than this? >> it's the last week. i can try anything, right? jeffrey, thanks for being here. safe travels back to puerto rico. who wants some -- >> coquito? >> quire coquito? >> si. >> your spanish is not as good as mine. happy holidays. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> salute. >> salute. >> your spanish is not as good as mine. happy holidays.

>> cheers. >> cheers. >> salute. >> salute. i'm alex trebek, here to tell you about the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan,

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we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin and out cleans the other free and clear detergent. dermatologist recommended. it's got to be tide. know what turns me on? my better half, hors d oeuvres and bubbly. and when i really want to take it up a notch we use k-y yours & mine. tingling for me, warming for him. wow! this holiday season get what you want

we continue to keep an eye on the holiday getaway rush that is taking place outside our studios there live. >> busy, busy, busy. >> there is a yellow cab, though. wow. calm down, columbus avenue. in the meantime, one of america's most loveable labradors is not too far away. >> former president george h.w. bush's devoted service dog sully made headlines during mr. bush's funeral and now he's getting ready to meet his newest companions. wabc's christen thor has more. >> reporter: a grand entrance for sully the service dog. back on long island after spending six months serving former president george h.w. bush. this picture of sully lying in

front of the president's casket was perhaps one of the most viewed and shared pictures following the president's death. >> we all felt such a tremendous sense of pride. >> reporter: last april, america's vet dogs based in smithtown received a call from walter reed medical center in maryland. george w. bush had asked if they could arrange for a service dog for his father, a world war ii veteran. >> i immediately knew i had the perfect dog for president bush. in fact, in my excitement i may have even mentioned sully's name. he is loyal, calm, kind with children, exactly what the president's team asked for. >> reporter: sully, as you can guess, is named in honor of united states air force veteran and miracle on the hudson hero, chesley sully sullenberger. valerie kramer delivered the 2-year-old yellow lab to the president in maine around june. >> from the first moment when the president said "welcome

home," i knew it was an absolutely perfect match. >> reporter: kramer said sully and the president had an incredible bond. >> i was told president bush would often in the morning say, "how's sully?" >> so even though sully's owner is gone, sully will continue to serve him. >> when president bush passed away, it was his wish that sully serve other veterans. >> reporter: sully will begin working as a service dog at walter reed beginning in february. kristen thorn, channel 7, eyewitness news. here i am all alone. kendis doesn't leave until tomorrow but he's not here now. oh. oh, there he is. there he is on these very empty streets on columbus. everyone's supposed to be rushing to the holidays. we've just got kendis doing his dance. right into unemployment. go, kendis. go. go, kendis, go, kendis, go.

he has to be freezing out there. he's going to get -- go play in traffic. all that traffic as people head to the holidays.

this morning this morning on "world news now," brace yourself, the busiest travel day of the season is here. >> and it's happening just as massive storms threaten to make travel a nightmare for millions, bringing heavy rain, wind and flooding. breaking news. the senate has approved a plan to avoid tomorrow's government shutdown and it now goes to the house. but with the president facing intense pressure from conservative media and others, will he sign it? plus, a tesla ignites not once but twice as the electric carmaker insists its vehicles are safe. its batteries could be to blame. we don't have to tell you hallmark christmas movies are lit! they've got predictable moments and cheesy story lines but millions of us really don't care. but we're going behind the scenes of many of those on this

thursday, december 20th. from abc news, this is "world news now." millions of us don't care? you don't care? >> i care. i care. i love hallmark movies. >> me, too. well -- >> those are like my mainstay. o.w.n. network. lifetime. >> lifetime. i used to have lifetime sundays. >> sunday funday. for millions of america's, the christmas getaway starts today. it is the busiest day for holiday travel according to aaa. >> we're looking at times square right now. analysts predicting delays on the roads today as long as four times the usual. >> aaa predicts more than 6.5 million people will travel by air this year. that's the most in 15 years. so far there are few cancellations or delays at u.s. airports today. >> but that could change with major winter storms sweeping across the country. abc's victor oquendo has the story. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: that powerful storm that brought a rare december tornado to washington state is

on the move. >> there's like debris everywhere. >> reporter: at the same time a new storm is forming in the south, already flooding streets in new orleans and dumping rain on drivers in west texas. >> we got rain. >> reporter: those two storms set to merge and bring nightmare travel all the way up the east coast just as 120 million people are heading out for the holidays. >> how are you doing, sir? >> reporter: airlines expect 45 million will travel this holiday season. david kerley is at reagan airport in washington, d.c. >> the airlines say they're prepared to deal with the bad weather and the tsa has added more officers to deal with the two busiest days, today and friday. >> reporter: national weather service just announcing it was an ef-2, 300 yards wide with winds up to 130 miles per hour. meanwhile, so much of the east coast is saturated. that means there is sure to be extensive flooding from this storm. victor oquendo, abc news, atlanta.

>> atlanta is in the crosshairs as well for that flooding. the flooding is expected to affect 100 million holiday travelers driving this season. >> melissa, good morning. >> janai, kendis, this is going to be a big storm system moving up the east coast. first some soaking rain for the southeast for your thursday. then it will move up the east coast into friday. let's talk about thursday. the risk for severe weather here through florida and along the atlantic coast with damaging winds from some severe thunderstorms, maybe even isolated tornados. the threat for flooding again along the east coast. new system in the west coast, heavy rain and gusty winds. janai? kendis? >> our thanks to melissa there. turning now to the swift reaction to withdrawal of 2,000 u.s. troops from syria. the president declaring victory over isis in a tweet saying it's time for u.s. forces to now come home. the pullout is expected to be completed in 30 days.

the move took lawmakers by surprise and even republicans are pushing back. >> if this decision is a withdrawal of all of our forces in syria now, we're dramatically less safe. this is an obama-like move. >> colossal, in my mind, mistake. a grave error. isis is not defeated. >> critics say the islamic state remains a threat in syria and could regroup. the withdrawal is considered a win for russia and iran and it leaves u.s.-backed kurdish forces vulnerable to increased attacks. breaking overnight, the senate has approved legislation that could avoid a partial government shutdown. the house will vote next on the bill that would keep the government running at least until february 8th. and it would have to be signed, of course, by the president, who dropped his demand for a border wall. abc's mary bruce on the hill. >> reporter: he said he'd shut down the government and take all

the blame if congress didn't fund his border wall. >> i am proud to shut down the government for border security, chuck. >> reporter: but just one week later the white house is retreating. >> is there other ways for him to get that money. >> reporter: conservatives are outraged. rush limbaugh says the president got less than nothing. "fox & friends" declaring he lost. >> people who voted for him and want the wall and went to the polls to vote for that wall, they want to know how he's going to do this and they want to know why he seems to be softening his stance. >> the president is not softening his stance. he has a responsibility to keep the government moving forward. >> reporter: capitol hill is heading for a short-term fix to keep the government open until early february, but by then democrats will control the house and the chances of the president getting money for his wall will be even more unlikely. the big question now is whether the president will get on board with this short-term fix. the white house has said he's now willing to consider it but he hasn't yet committed to signing this. now here on the hill there is a last-ditch effort by some conservative members to try and change the president's mind.

the chairman of the freedom caucus tweeting, "the time to fight is now. zero excuse." mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >> president trump could find himself in a tough spot there. well, the federal reserve ignored pressure from the president and raised interest rates for the fourth time this year. the 1/4 point hike was widely expected. it means rates on your car loan, mortgage and credit card payments will likely go up as well. the market didn't like it, sending the dow plunging more than 350 points to its lowest level of the year. catholic church leaders in illinois are being accused of hiding the names of hundreds of priests accused of sexual abuse. the state's attorney says the names of 500 priests were withheld over a number of decades. the prosecutors say the state's six archdioceses never properly investigated these claims. survivors are calling for the grand jury to look into the cases. cuban baseball players can now play for major u.s. clubs

without defecting. they'll also be allowed to go home when the season is over, something defectors can't do. if you love that chicken from popeye's, the restaurant chain now has chicken that will love you back. >> it's a spread specifically made for frustrated flyers. popeye's has come up with an emotional support chicken meal. the box is served in a carrier box that looks like a chicken. you see it right there. >> that's very cute. to remove air travelers' stress. the box is tsa friendly. the catch is it's only available at philadelphia international airport, but what a great -- that dog is eyeing that chicken. >> and it's bizarre. like, first off, why is it only available in philly? why were there frustrated flyers? like, who launched the campaign to make this happen? >> to make those people, you know, who just didn't get done with that piece of chicken and you want to take it on your plane but can't. >> can't get through security with just a chicken wing in your

hand. or a leg. >> i guess. it's not socially acceptable i guess. i assume philly is a pretty good test market for it and maybe they'll branch out from there. >> why is that, kendis? >> boston would be too. >> there is that as well. well, coming up, we're hearing from the pro surfer involved in that epic 50-foot wipeout. did he think he was going to die? but first, yet another tesla burst into flames. worst, it's the second time the same car has caught fire. and remember to check out our behind the scene pics on instagram. abcwnn. you're watching "world news now." behind the scene pics on instagram. abcwnn. you're watching "world news now."

tand, our adulte children are here. so, we save by using tide. which means we use less. three generations of clothes cleaned in one wash. those are moms. anybody seen my pants?

nothing cleans better. put those on dad! it's got to be tide. take prilosec otc and take control of heartburn. so you don't have to stash antacids here.... here... or here. kick your antacid habit with prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. . w we're back with this devastating fire that tore through an apartment building in new york's chinatown section. firefighters rescued a 96-year-old woman and her home health aid who sought shelter in a bathroom. they were hospitalized in cardiac arrest. the cause of the fire is being investigated. we turn now to the intense manhunt for a killer who gunned

down a mother on a missouri highway. >> police say she was shot from outside her car with her two young children inside hundreds of miles from home. here is abc's gio benitez. >> reporter: mystery in missouri as police hunt for a killer. mother of two melissa pesky was found dead in the driver's seat of a car last week in what was first thought to be a traffic accident, but police are saying the real estate agent from sioux falls, south dakota was gunned down nearly 500 miles away from her home. she was found in her car on interstate 70 near the interchange about 40 miles west of columbia, missouri. her husband reportedly telling a local reporter she was heading to south carolina to visit friends. >> it was determined that the victim in this case, melissa pesky, died of a gunshot wound. >> reporter: her two children, 5 and 11 years old, were in the car at the time but they were not hurt and are safe in foster care. pesky's friends saying her children adored her.

>> they were so, so, so in love with their mom. every time they got the chance they would tell her how much they loved her. >> reporter: police have not named any suspects but investigators want anyone with information to give them a call right away. gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to gio on that awful story there. >> yeah. electric car tesla insists its vehicles are safe after another one burst into flames. >> the latest incident happened near san jose, california. >> yikes. >> with the same car catching fire twice. the owner says the first time was shortly after he tried to fix a flat. the car was towed to an auto repair shop where it suddenly ignited. >> i go and do the paperwork and i start hearing a funny hissing sound. and i thought, oh, it must be something going on in the shop next door. >> nope. >> hmm, all that money going up in flames. firefighters say the car's battery container had a build-up of heat. it took six hours for the battery to cool off before the car could be towed.

tesla says it's investigating but again says its cars are safe. >> if you're elon musk, you had a great day the day before. it's like, hey, everybody, come look at my tunnel that i built under l.a. with my new tesla and then -- >> that voice. that impersonation. >> that's how elon musk sounds. and then next thing you know, wait a minute, do you really want a tesla in the tunnel? >> no. >> never know. okay. so dancing like no one is watching can be exhilarating. >> dancing when people have to watch you can go viral. check out this man. >> i like to move it, move it. >> busting a move during a traffic jam in baltimore. >> i like to move it. >> he is serious. he stayed stone-faced during the whole thing. didn't say a word. just let those hips do the talking. his identity remains a mystery at the moment. i'm sure we'll know his name within a few hours. what was he doing. >> oh, man, he's going full-on. >> oh, my goodness.

that's how he gets his anger out for being stuck in traffic. >> now we know what that dude -- remember the tae bo dude, what's his name? billy banks is doing these days. >> the chicken thing. >> there is that at well. >> stress release. in our next half hour, the celebration begins. a very special tribute to a very special co-anchor. >> i was wondering. i mean, friday's creeping up on us. >> kendis' long list of ladies share their stories of the overnight news network legend. >> llkg. >> huh? but first, can christmas really be this perfect? why many americans are switching to the hallmark channel this holiday season. that's next on "world news now." ladies love kg. >> oh, my gosh. gosh.

it's a big holiday getaway happening right now.

that, of course, is l.a.x. that is a plane on the runway. 45 million people expected to take by the air for the holiday season. and with christmas just five days away, some of you may be feeling the pressure of all of those last-minute preps from shopping to baking to travel plans. >> but there's one place where christmas is always kind of perfect, the hallmark channel. abc's marci gonzalez here. >> i definitely will remember this for the rest of my life. >> how do you decide? >> you just know. >> you two know each other. >> it was a lifetime ago. >> reporter: it's become a beloved holiday tradition. girl meets boy while home for christmas at a small-town bakery. >> it takes a little bit of love to make something really special. >> reporter: or on a train. >> you're right next to me. >> reporter: and of course they fall in love and live happily ever after. it is that time of year again,

hallmark for the holidays. the wildly popular marathon of addictive christmas movies that have all the makings of a perfect guilty pleasure. >> that is beautiful. >> reporter: hometown hunks, holiday hijinx -- >> merry christmas. >> reporter: and plenty of romance. >> i'm prince leopold of cordinia. >> reporter: and don't forget the holiday queens. >> something big is coming. >> what is it? >> that i can't tell you. >> oh, my gosh, it smells -- >> it smells so good. >> reporter: the network's undisputed queen bee is candace cameron bure of "fuller house" fame. >> i love being in these movies because they make people feel good. a lot of them have a very special meaning to people and that's what keeps me coming back. >> reporter: and while some might call them cheesy and they are definitely predictable, fans cannot get enough. >> this year we'll have produced

38 christmas movies. we start with the hallmark brand lens. emotional connections, traditions, celebrating the season. >> reporter: it's a winning formula. over the past five years, the hallmark holiday brand has skyrocketed. and it's not just women. men make up a good part of the hallmark holiday audience. >> hi. i love hallmark christmas movies. >> reporter: brandon gray and his friends daniel pandolph and daniel thompson. >> hey, i'm panda and i like hallmark christmas movies. >> i'm dan and i despise hallmark christmas movies. >> reporter: the voices behind the hit podcast "deck the hallmark." >> this is the "deck the hallmark" podcast. >> the first time we meet, he's like, let's go christmas caroling with my family. >> reporter: the men look like they might be better suited to be reviewing ipas at the local brewery, but don't let that fool you. >> so i've loved these movies for a few years now. so i said what if we did a podcast and we record -- like

review all the movies? they're like, we're in. >> reporter: the podcast is a runaway hit. >> we were not necessarily the target demographic. we understand that. but one of the things that i think can appeal to men in these, just fun stories that include a whole host of grt themes. >> one, two, three, go! >> reporter: it's that warm fuzzy feeling that keeps fans tuning in year after year. >> i had a man e-mail me after last year's christmas movie that he told me that his wife had passed away and he said one of the special things that they always did together was watch a hallmark channel christmas movie. and so he wrote me and said i was having a hard time during christmas this year, but i made it a point to sit down and watch one of your movies and i felt like my wife was right there with me. i'm gonna cry. >> i am, too. >> reporter: i'm marci gonzalez in los angeles. >> merry christmas, everyone! >> i was in a great mood until that last little moment right there.

okay. if you're going to be in a hallmark movie, the essentials, being a '90s actress is good. and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan,

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we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin and out cleans the other free and clear detergent. dermatologist recommended. it's got to be tide. kendis gibson is dancing his way into unemployment. tune in friday to say good-bye to this "world news now" legend. ♪ ♪ to see if he's broken his hips by all of those moves. the answer is true. you know, like -- >> true. >> like the ending of "mash" and luke and laura's wedding. tv events you realize where you were when it happened. tomorrow is not one of those. >> i was going to say, i think i was too young for both of those. >> exactly. all right. let's talk about "the mix" right now. remember we talked about the surfer off the coast of northern california who wiped out there on a 50-foot wave just a couple

of days ago. >> yeah. >> he got tossed around like it was laundry day. for 100 seconds. well, he got to see the video. our san francisco station caught up with him and showed it to him. >> that was the worst of it. after i fell and got sucked over the lip. no, i didn't even feel like i was going to die at all. kind of a meditative mindset. >> so chill about it all. >> so he was meditating that he was just chilling on a beach with the dalai lama and he didn't realize that, you know, he was being tossed around for 100 seconds. >> whoa. yeah, super light. >> and battered by the wave. so meditation -- the moral of the story, meditation works. >> apparently. well, from the coast of california to down south in texas, celebrating christmas with some super mario light shows. this guy, jesus gonzalez, sets the bar pretty high in his neighborhood. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year. >> look at this. all coordinated. celebrating christmas with

mario. we keep seeing these lights shows. they're all over. people keep getting more and more creative. >> is it because jesus is celebrating his birthday? >> i thought about making that joke. >> sleighed. it really was. sorry. so you know dogs are necessarily excited -- if you're a dog owner, you know that dogs aren't necessarily excited to go to the vet. >> right. >> but this one particular dog is bucking that trend -- >> ectatic. >> look at him. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. we're here. >> where are we going? oh, my god. who is going to get surgery? this guy. this guy. this is a colorado state university vet teaching hospital. the dog couldn't control the excitement. according to the hospital, endo was in here for a follow-up visit and he can be seen -- it makes me wonder, like, what sort of treatment are the doctors -- the vets giving. >> that dog's name is endo and they're in colorado. of course they are. >> oh, yeah.

next to a mom who gets a puppy for christmas. >> oh. >> she's beside herself.

this morning on "world news now," breaking news, north korea makes a major announcement about its nuclear program as talks with the u.s. appear to be deadlocked. holiday travel headaches peak today. the worst day for delays according to experts as storms threaten the eastern third of the country. dangerous driving conditions and airport delays are expected with heavy rain, winds and flooding. and new this half hour, kids at a children's hospital got an extra special surprise. >> what's up, everybody? it's santa claus. a visit from former president barack obama complete with a santa hat and a whole lot of cheer for the children on this holiday. and we're getting a sneak

peek at the new "alladin." part of it is breaking the internet. it's not will smith's crazy getup, it's jafar. hey, jafar. >> hey, jafar. >> some people are saying disney made this villain too hot. it's thursday, december 20th. from abc news, this is "world news now." oh, my gosh, the first day of winter, oof, steamy in here. >> still feeling hot. yeah, wait until you see the jafar pictures that are really steaming up the internet. >> it's the entree, but we'll get to that later. >> not a snack. it's a full buffet. but we're going to begin with the breaking news right now from north korea, now apparently changing its tune on nuclear weapons. >> the government of kim jong-un this morning saying it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the u.s. removes its nuclear threat first. that statement comes as nuclear negotiations between the u.s. and north korea are at a

standstill. >> you remember this meeting in june with president trump and kim jong-un signing an agreement, calling for the removal of nuclear weapons from the korean peninsula? well, follow-up talks have gone nowhere with north korea calling for an end to sanctions before making any moves towards scrapping its nukes. we'll continue to follow that development but that's just breaking within the last few hours. we turn now, though, to the immediate opposition to the rapid withdrawal of u.s. troops in syria. >> president trump declared victory over the islamic state and announced american forces would be coming home soon, going against the advice of top officials and military leaders. fellow republicans slammed the decision as rash and dangerous. >> senator lindsey graham is quoted as saying, if obama had done this, we'd be going nuts right now. abc's martha raddatz has the details. >> reporter: president trump all but declaring mission accomplished with his sudden decision to pull all 2,000

american troops out of syria within the next 30 days. >> we have won against isis and now it's time for our troops to come back home. >> reporter: the move flies in the face of what many of his own advisers on syria were saying just days ago. >> if we've learned one thing over the years enduring a defeat of a group like this means you can't just defeat their physical space and then leave. you have to make sure the internal security forces are in place to make sure those security gains are enduring. >> with regard to stabilization we still have a long way to go. >> reporter: as a candidate, donald trump said the decision to withdraw all u.s. troops from iraq in 2011 created a vacuum for isis to fill. >> i oppose the reckless way obama, clinton left iraq. >> reporter: now some of the president's strongest allies say he is making the same mistake himself with syria. >> if this decision is a withdrawal of all of our forces in syria now, we're dramatically

less safe. this is an obama-like move. >> colossal, in my mind, mistake. a grave error. isis is not defeated. >> reporter: isis has lost almost all of its territory in syria but 2,000 fighters remain and there are concerns going forward about intelligence. if you don't have troops there it is harder to get good information about what is happening on the ground and critics also point out that this is a win for russia and iran. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> strong opposition from senator graham there who has been one of the president's biggest supporters on the hill. breaking overnight, the senate has passed a short-term fix to keep the government funded for another seven weeks. the house is expected to vote on the stopgap legislation today and it should be on president trump's desk before friday's shutdown deadline. the president is no longer demanding $5 billion for his promised border wall, but he's now facing pressure from conservatives to not sign the bill. well, the house may be still working, but outgoing speaker paul ryan has already delivered his farewell address and he made

some frank admissions. ryan said he didn't know how to fix the outrage and bitterness that dominate today's politics and without specifically mentioning the president he said divisiveness is amplified by technology which he said preys on people's fears. >> but today too often genuine disagreement quickly gives way to intense distrust. we spend far more time trying to convict one another than we do trying to develop our own convictions. i say as i look ahead to the future, this much i know, our complex problems are absolutely solvable. [ applause ] >> ryan also acknowledged failing on his top two goals, controlling the federal debt, which has ballooned, and reining entitlement programs. he's retiring after 20 years in the house, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. two winter storm systems are converging on the eastern u.s. one is swinging up from the gulf

of mexico. meanwhile the other system is crossing the mississippi overnight into the southeast and ohio valley. some streets in new orleans you see there are already flooded but the worst is expected today. lots more rain as well as high winds and dense fog overnight. the double whammy comes just as many of us are getting into our cars for holiday travel. more than 112 million people are expected to go somewhere for christmas, more than 100 million of them by car. a suspect will make his first court appearance this morning for a murder committed nearly 40 years ago. cedar rapids, iowa police announce overnight an arrest for the fatal stabbing of high school senior michelle martinko, back in 1979, mind you. she had not been robbed or sexually assaulted but it appeared she tried to fight off her attacker. the cops began using dna last year to build a composite drawing of the killer and cops then obtained a suspect's dna and apparently they say it

matched blood that was found at the scene. the now 64-year-old jerry burns you see there faces a first-degree murder charge. a court hearing here in new york today could determine if harvey weinstein will be tried for sexual assault. the former hollywood mogul is accused of raping a woman five years ago and forcing himself on another woman in 2006. weinstein's attorneys say the case should be thrown out because of police interference and some statements from a witness. prosecutors claim there is ample evidence to put him on trial. weinstein denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex. health care company johnson & johnson continues to fight against a huge award involving its talcum powder. a jury gave $4.7 billion to 22 women who blame their ovarian cancer on the powder. it's one of the largest personal injury awards ever. the company says it will appeal again. there is that song that says "a kiss is just a kiss," but not necessarily the case with

hershey's kiss. >> chocolate lovers are tuned in right now getting their hot chocolate before kendis leaves. chocolate lovers want to know what happened to their beloved candy. many of the bite sized chocolates are missing their pointed tips. bakers in one facebook group are really upset. they say it caused a problem with their holiday dessert items. hershey says it's looking into the issue. >> y'all need better problems to worry about than the tip of a chocolate. >> right? >> yeah. i know. >> come on, man. >> still tastes the same, right? >> yes, it does. >> get that sorted out. >> yes, it does. now to a surprise visit from a special santa claus bringing christmas cheer to kids forced to spend the holidays away from home. >> former president obama dropped in on the children's national hospital in washington to all those cheers, armed with a santa hat and a sack of toys. the young patients couldn't believe their eyes as he gave out the gifts, along with plenty of hugs, of course. there were also lots of selfies, bringing some of the children to tears. >> that's awesome.

only a handful of staff, by the way, even knew that former president obama was coming. he spent about 90 minutes there. >> he visited that same hospital four years ago and michelle obama, former first lady, has made annual trips there as first lady. >> yeah. >> beautiful story there. >> merry christmas, everybody. >> i was hoping you didn't do it again. >> just wanted to say -- coming up, the end of an era. >> the end of an era. some of the best anchors in the business who have been lucky enough to grace the set with kendis gibson are paying tribute to this guy. >> wow. i wrote that. and improving on the original. wait until you see how macaulay culkin reshoots some of his most iconic scenes as his 38-year-old self. we'll have that story in "the skinny." you're watching "world news now." now." josh: because of smoking. but we still had to have a cigarette. had to.

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super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin. we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin and out cleans the other free and clear detergent. dermatologist recommended. it's got to be tide. ♪ ♪ so what was it? this got plenty of attention last night in the skies over the san francisco bay area. there were no spaceships -- spacecrafts that were launched last night. people across a 75-mile area reported seeing the mysterious

light. the national weather service says it's not 100% sure but says it was an alien spacecraft. >> or santa. >> or santa. no, they say it could have been a meteor. >> hmm. >> not sure about that. >> what a mystery. >> mmm-hmm. well, a man is dead after a freak accident near washington, d.c. >> this was terrible. his body was found at the bottom of an escalator at the new carrollton metro station in maryland. surveillance video showed him trying to walk up the down escalator. he then fell backward and struck his head and then his clothing caught in the escalator. an investigation under way there in the d.c. area. well, turning now to the frightening moments for a 5-year-old boy in tennessee left all alone, trapped inside his school bus. >> he was forced to figure out how to escape all by himself before he was helped by a stranger. here is abc's linsey davis.

>> mama! >> reporter: a real-life nightmare playing out on bus surveillance cameras as a 5-year-old cries out for help. his mom, uenisha bradford, wipes away tears as she watches the video of her son's distress. it happened in chattanooga, tennessee. the video obtained by abc affiliate wtbc shows children exiting the bus to after-care but the 5-year-old had fallen asleep. >> our teacher's supposed to walk through. she said she looked under the seats for legs and bookbags and didn't see anything. >> reporter: the driver ends her shift and walks away. the little boy wakes up and realizes he's all alone. >> mama! >> reporter: more than ten minutes later, he figures out how to open the door and wanders the parking lot until he's helped by a stranger. >> what if those people weren't out there? anybody could have got him. >> reporter: that driver has been suspended and the bus monitors will now undergo additional training to try to prevent this from happening again. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> awful story.

>> kind of frightening there. in the meantime, an indiana mom accused of leaving her kids home alone added a special twist to her case. >> joanne cummings faces neglect charges after police say they found her 7 and 4-year-old by themselves in their home. when officers arrived the kids were watching a movie and of course it was "home alone." unlike the movie, the only visitors this time were police. >> 4 and 7-year-old. >> had the 7-year-old stay home to watch the 4-year-old so that she could go to work. >> okay. i could see the logic in it, have the older one look after the younger one. that's why i have no kids. >> in theory, the older one. the younger one. not when they're 7 and 4. >> yeah, true. next, more from "home alone" because macaulay culkin returns to his famous role. >> get ready for that. "alladin" bae, get ready for this. "the skinny" is next. "the skinny" is next. . that. "alladin" bae, get ready for this.

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♪ skinny ♪ just give me the skinny it is "skinny" time and it is "skinny" on a thursday. so a little tbt with a christmas classic updated.

>> "home alone" turned 28 years old this year. and just in time for christmas, the now 38-year-old macaulay culkin is reimagining his 8-year-old self in this new holiday ad for google. ♪ ♪ >> mom? dad? hey, google, what's on my calender today? >> you have one event called "house to yourself." >> oh, yeah. ♪ hey, google, add aftershave to my shopping list. hey, google, remind me to clean these sheets later. >> okay. i'll remind you. someone's at the front door. >> what do i owe you? >> looks like you paid online. >> keep the change, you filthy animal. >> okay. cool. >> ah, yes. he kind of looks like he did 28 years ago. >> he does. that "home alone" house sold for $1.5 million six years ago in chicago. >> wow. good deal.

well, now we're getting our first look at disney's remake of "alladin." >> which needs to be renamed "jafar." the new version from our parent company stars mena massoud as a title character, alongside will smith as genie. naomi scott as princess jasmine. >> but the remake is also making huge waves with marwan kenzari as the villain jafar. we remember jafar like this in the animated film. >> yeah, exactly, but here is jafar in the flesh. >> hey, zaddy. >> zaddy. okay, yeah. >> so here he really is without all that pesky costuming. good job, disney. >> talk about disney animators. >> yeah. good god. one twitter user went as far as to say, "i hope "alladin's" acting is phenomenal, otherwise i'm going to be cheering for

jafar based on his hotness alone." god, that slow walk. did we slow that down? >> no. >> that's how he -- >> he just moves in slow motion. >> it's time lapsed. one woman said, "yeah, right, jasmine not choosing aladdin's broke "a" with daddy jafar over here." she's kind of right. >> oh, my gosh. do we have to go on to the next story? jeez. >> wow. >> i am getting a little warm. but, okay -- >> hot flashes. >> all right. look. we can't -- we can't move on without checking out will smith as genie. >> oh, yeah. that's nice. >> "aladdin" comes out next may. >> thanks, will. we know what we're doing in may. we'll be rooting for jafar. next, after more than three decades, the biggest debate in cinematic history may finally be settled. >> 20th century fox is saying "diehard" is the greatest

christmas story ever told. even greater, presumably, the actual christmas story. it's better than that one, the one with baby jesus. >> really? >> that's what they say. >> the 1988 smash hit starring bruce willis who kills a terrorist gang during an office christmas party. >> screenwriter jeb stewart told "gma" this past summer it's a holiday film because of the family aspect of willis fighting to preserve his family. >> during the christmas season. >> it totally makes sense. >> yeah. so "forbes" is out with its list of the world's highest paid comedians. >> in first place again is jerry seinfeld, who has topped the list nearly every year since it began in 2006, pulling down $57.5 million in the past year. >> number two and trailing by just 0.5 million is kevin hart. >> uh-huh. >> much of his millions coming

from sold-out stadium tours. >> i don't need you, oscars. yeah. coming up, pull out your tissues. you're about to get your heartstrings plucked. >> you can take your hosting gig. $13,000 hosting gig. reena! got popcorn?

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kendis gibson is dancing his way into unemployment. tune in friday to say good-bye to this "world news now" legend. man, you're good. >> thank you, jack. >> so you know what? i can't wait until tomorrow. let's get the celebration started right now. >> yes. >> a lot of women have sat in my seat since you started on "world news now." >> a lot. >> they probably all dreaded it. >> "world news now" is like tinder for late-night. >> swipe left. >> swipe. >> and some very talented journalists have filled in for you. so here's what some of them had to say about good old kendis. >> i'm scurred. >> i will never forget when you got me to eat 10-year-old popcorn that was a longtime prop

on set. >> that's a prop? i didn't know that. >> kendis, you're one of the kindest and most generous people in this business. i'm so excited to see your next chapter. you're really one of my first tv husbands and you haven't sent me an anchor alimony check yet. i'm waiting. >> kendis, you've been one of my best buds here at abc. you're like a brother. a much, much older brother. >> i used to think that i was the only co-anchor for kendis. he made me feel so special, like i was the only one. turns out that apparently there's a lot of us. >> he's been with a lot of women and he does kind of whisper sweet nothings in your ear to make you feel special. there have been so many women sitting next to him. >> i think it's a record, actually. >> but in all seriousness, we are really going to miss you, kendis, and we wish you all the best. >> we love you.

get some sleep. >> kendis, i knew when you made a just the tip joke my first 30 minutes on air that we would be fast friends, but i never imagined we would go on to work so well together. we would go on to be the longest-running anchor duo in "world news now" history. whether it was doing breaking news or some silly stunt we didn't know was going to work or not, i always knew i had a friend and partner next to me that i could rely on. so, thank you for being my partner in crime. i'm so excited to see where you end up next and i will so be hoping that we get to work together again some day. all right. so most of that was the same speech i gave at my going away show. but whatever, i don't have time to write you two sappy good-bye speeches. i got to go. good-bye. >> i was going to say, diane's was so sweet. >> it was very sweet. >> manufactured. >> diane there on her maternity break. clearly she took that just the tip joke a little too far with her hubby. >> oh, the lines, kendis.

>> oh, the lines. >> lord, have mercy. all these women you've run through and now -- >> yes, including kenneth moton.

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learn more at rethinkbutts.org >> that's what i'm going to be doing after friday. making news in america this morning, travel trouble. major storms collide dumping heavy rain, snow and spawning possible tornadoes just in time for the busiest travel day of the christmas holiday season. what to expect today on the roads, rails and at the airport. president trump's surprising decision withdrawing u.s. troops out of syria. the new outrage this morning from some of his closest supporters and the question, why now? breaking overnight, cold case cracked. the nearly 40-year-old killing of an iowa teenager found dead outside a mall may now be solved. the controversial dna technology police used to identify the suspected killer.